Vayikra: Mincha and Roses

To stand for human dignity means not only insisting on the right to basic survival needs, but the right to live fully — to experience joy, pleasure, love, friendship, beauty.
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Photo of the author, Rabbi Ariel Tovlev

Emor: Peace Has No Sides

The path of peace is not an easy one; it cuts through the binary of right or wrong, victim or oppressor, hero or villain, us or them. The path of peace does not choose favorites, does not leverage one over another, does not create hierarchies. The path of peace has no sides.
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What It Means to Be a Sanctuary Synagogue

“Sanctuary” as defined by the contemporary New Sanctuary Movement has a variety of different meanings, all of which have the ultimate goal of protecting immigrants and preventing deportation. An individual local sanctuary network may have different definitions or needs from a sanctuary network in another community. These are the different forms of congregational participation as...
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I believe in the worth of every human life

March 27, 2020 As the weeks go on, I’m hearing from more and more of you who are ill yourselves, worrying about friends or family who are ill, or mourning deaths. I’m sending much love and prayers for healing your way. This week has been dominated by conversations about how many deaths would be acceptable...
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We refuse to despair

Dear friends, Over the last two weeks, we have watched with horror as Russia launched an unprompted and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine, attacking and besieging major cities, resulting in 2 million people fleeing their homes. Many of us worry about family, friends, and acquaintances there. For those of us with roots in the region, the...
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Being Like Reuben and Gad: What sort of allies will we be?

Have you ever been the one white person, or one of the only, attending a Black activist event or protest? Have you been the one, or one of the only, men gathered in a Feminist space? Have you been the one cisgender individual in a room of Trans activists organizing for change? Have you ever...
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On Arendt: Creating a Zionism That Owns Its Mistakes

Hannah Arendt would find it very tricky to be a Zionist today. She was critical of David Ben Gurion’s policy of effectively ignoring the Palestinians’ sincere pursuit of national sovereignty. She advocated a Zionism that would be achieved through excellent relations with the Palestinian neighbors, rather than in spite of them. In her essay “To...
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